What is the point of recycling waste?

Having seen an explosive documentary about the criminal elements behind the dumping of waste in New South Wales and Queensland, one must ask the question. Rogue companies that collect waste and use private property to dispose of it are making millions of dollars. At one site alone, more than a million tons of waste was dumped on a former golf course, with more arriving every day. Other sites include abandoned coal mines and such.

Most people take pride in recycling plastic, paper and glass in the bins provided by councils. The recycling collection truck has a sign saying that so many plastic bottles will provide enough energy to power a house for six hours. This makes us feel good about making sure we do the right thing.

After the exposure of what really happens to that waste in New South Wales, I am nervous about what happens to it in the Australian Capital Territory and elsewhere. The mountains of glass shards are not recycled, but stored in huge plastic bags and shipped to Melbourne, where they are stored in warehouses. The price has dropped from $200 a tonne to $25, which makes it too expensive to sell.’

So what is it about? Where are the governments and the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) while this is happening? There are rogue elements in all areas of government and local authorities and many whistleblowers fear for their safety as there is a lot of money at stake.

With mountains of material ranging from asbestos to industrial waste to piles of plastic, the size of these landfill cleanups is growing daily. Massive fines must be levied to help pay for it. Meanwhile we will be asking ourselves the question of what is the point of recycling waste?